Flying Cars Are Almost Here—But What Happens When You Take Off?

Remember dreaming as a kid about a future filled with robots and flying cars? Yeah, me too — but here we are in 2025, and oddly enough, the skies are still mostly traffic-free, despite what Back To The Future promised us decades ago. But hold on to your hats (and maybe your pilot’s license), because the age of flying cars might actually be kicking off soon! From a quirky Slovakian startup unveiling the slick AirCar to a Tesla-inspired flying machine cruising the American horizon, this sci-fi fantasy is edging closer to reality. So, what’s it really like to pilot one of these airborne rides? Buckle up — I’ve got the scoop straight from test drivers who’ve taken flying cars for a spin, sharing surprisingly human experiences (and wallet-busting price tags). Ready to peek into tomorrow’s traffic jams? LEARN MORE.

When you were a child and thought about what the world would look like when you were grown up, the first images which likely came to your mind were robots and flying cars.

Fast forward to 2025 and it would appear there is a distinct lack of flying cars in the sky, despite what Back To The Future led us to believe.

However, this may very well be about to change in the not-so-distant future, as numerous companies are working towards bringing flying cars to the market.

In recent years, we’ve seen a technology firm in Slovakia unveil their AirCar and another company in the US unveil plans for a very Tesla-esque looking flying vehicle.

So, we’ve seen plenty of prototypes revealing what a flying car could look like when it hits the market, but what is it actually like to drive one?

The future is here… if you’re rich (Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images)

Thankfully, we have the answer to that as well, as numerous people have test driven flying cars and lived to tell the tale.

One flying car, which has been tested was the PAL-V Liberty, a three-wheeled car meets helicopter vehicle which has been in development for the past decade. The flying car – or gyroplane – is being developed in the Netherlands, with motoring YouTuber Petrol Ped test driving the contraption back in 2023. “It’s so sensitive… you can feel the aircraft moving underneath you,” the content creator said of his time in control of the PAL-V Liberty, adding that the whole thing was an ‘unbelievable experience’.

Now, the contraption looks more like the cross between a plane and helicopter rather than a car, but it’s certainly a cool glimpse into what futuristic transportation could be like. That’s if you have a £250,000 (€300,000) to spare on a new pair of wheels.

Another futuristic vehicle on the market is the Pivotal BlackFly, which has been designed in the US.

The Pivotal BlackFly eVTOL, another forerunner on the flying car market (YouTube/@pivotalaero)

Following the air-vehicle’s unveiling in 2018, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal was lucky enough to take one for a spin and revealed exactly what it was like to be driving (and flying) into the motoring future.

Although the BlackFly still resembles a small plane rather than a traditional vehicle, the key takeaway here was the accessibility of being able to control one.

“By virtue of its human-factors engineering and flight-control automation, the BlackFly can be mastered by almost anyone with a few days’ training, roughly comparable to the requirements for a driver’s license,” reporter Dan Neil wrote. “Nor is age any barrier.”

(Klein Vision)

Which is certainly promising news for every motorist out there, although I can only imagine the chaos of rush hour when everyone is flying instead of driving.

Make sure to look above and below as well as checking your front, back and side mirrors.

Now, if you really fancy getting a flying vehicle which resembles a traditional car, there’s the AirCar, however, you’ll need a tidy $800,000 and $1 million to get one of those.